


nurturing nature

by arsgoetla



Series: gods and goddesses au [2]
Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, tw for near child death, wormwood is on the enby spectrum and uses he/them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27595429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arsgoetla/pseuds/arsgoetla
Summary: The king of the woods is not a fan of robots.And for good reason.
Series: gods and goddesses au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017340
Kudos: 9





	nurturing nature

"Pine Friend?"  
  
Walter groaned, rubbing his eyes as they came into focus. Above him was Wormwood, holding a whimpering Woby. He blinked, looking down at the dog, before dropping her. Walter giggled as the dog whomped onto his face, giving him excited licks.  
"Woby! Down!" He snickered, gently pushing the woofing dog away from him. He wiped the dog slobber off of his face, looking over at Wormwood, who was patting his leaf hands together. They made eye contact, and Wormwood smiled.  
  
"Axe Man wanted us to go into the woods," Wormwood explained shortly, fondling a flower on his arm. _Marigolds_ , Walter thought, studying the plant on Wormwood's arm.  
  
"Uhm, yeah! Sure! That's fine. Can you give me a moment, Wormwood? I need to change out of my jammies."   
  
"Jammies?" Wormwood repeated, tilting his head. The word was odd on his tongue, unnatural.  
  
"Clothes, I mean. You know, the things me and Woodie wear...?"  
  
The two stared at each other for a moment, the only sound being Woby's claws clacking against the solid wood floor.  
  
"Oh," Wormwood stepped back, blinking. "Okay." Wormwood turned around, leaf feet rustling as he exited the room, leaving a trail of summer flowers behind him. Walter closed the door behind him, letting out a heavy sigh.  
  
This place was... _weird_.  
He had only arrived here a short while ago after that strange radio grew hands and dragged him into the shadows. He remembered waking up, wandering in the snow. How exactly he ended up in Woodie's care was still fuzzy. What he did remember was waking up, smothered in blankets, with an odd bearded man and plant person standing over him; Woodie and Wormwood, as he'd come to know them. He'd ended up having a few fingers amputated due to hypothermia, which upset him at first. He was right-handed, and he was still slowly learning how to use his slingshot with his left hand in his free time. Otherwise, he was out with Woodie or Wormwood. Woodie was all too excited to talk with him for hours and hours. This increased tenfold when he figured out he was Candian, much to Walter's excitement.   
While he usually didn't mind it, he was the same way, he always brought his axe, Lucy, into the conversation. Walter tried his best to be polite when she was brought into the conversation, but... it was still something an axe-murderer _might_ do, so it always put him on edge. Other than that, Walter adored being around Woodie. He had a vast knowledge about the plants and trees in this place, and Walter always came back knowing something new, even if it left him a bit exhausted.   
Wormwood was the opposite of Woodie. He was rather quiet, only speaking if something piqued his interest. Otherwise, he would hum and twitter, creating music and song from himself or the plants around him. He could often be seen 'sunbathing,' bees and butterflies swarming around him. Walter would often join him, listening to the song of bees and of Wormwood himself. Whenever he needed to talk, Wormwood would listen. Even if he didn't quite understand at times (Woodie had explained that, while he had tried his best to explain the basics, Wormwood still did not understand much about humans or their struggles), Wormwood was always there with a soft pat or a few compassionate words. Even if the plant was a bit... dull, at times, Walter enjoyed his company nonetheless. And he should probably shouldn't keep him waiting. Walter stood up, dead petals crunching under his bare feet. He opened up his drawer, setting out his Pinetree pioneer outfit. He packed extra ammo for his slingshot in Woby, along with some medical supplies. A Pinetree pioneer could never be too prepared, after all!

Walter tugged his hat onto his curly hair, nodding firmly at Woby who woofed up at him. He threw his door open, Woby at his heels.

Walter let out a drowsy yawn, the sun's rays lazily flittering through the thick greenery. Wormwood trudged beside him, asters and peonies blooming behind him. The day was dragging along rather slowly, especially without Woodie around. Walter wasn't sure where the ginger Canadian was himself; he had barely been at the cabin over the last few days, insisting that darker days were coming, or so Lucy foretold. Walter shivered at the thought of that axe, despite the heat.  
  
They were nearing the massive beaver statue Woodie had carved, marking the end of his territory. It lead into the Night Queen's territory, an entity unknown to Walter. Woodie had warned him multiple times not to go anywhere near that place, and yet Walter found himself staring at the odd, dark place through his window at night. The shadows seemed to move and dance in the night, consuming any creature that strayed too close. It was scary, but very, _very_ cool. One day he'd sneak out with Woby and investigate the odd, dark substance. One day.  
There were two other totems marking the other two edges of Woodie's reign. One was of a goose, separating his lush forest with the ugly, burnt section. A lady named Willow lived there, or so Woodie said.  
  
_"A friendly gal, but a bit prone to destruction," Woodie had explained, Walter sitting on a nearby log as he sharpened his axe. "If there's ever any trouble, and I'm not around, she's your best bet."  
_The thought of anything bad happening while Woodie wasn't on watch was a bit... scary. In the short seasons he had been there, he had grown to trust Woodie and Wormwood, and had grown fond of the wildlife here. He'd even helped name a tree that Woodie and Wormwood had planted! (His name was Wobter.) The other totem was a massive moose, separating a lush, snow-covered forest. Wickerbottom lived there, along with her heir, Wurt. They came over every winter, bringing a temporary slumber over the entire Constant. Walter had, unfortunately, not been awake to witness such an event. Occasionally, every full moon or so, Walter would see a strange man crawl from under the moose statue and bask in the moonlight, head tilted back toward the sky. He'd never had a conversation with the man, unfortunately. Any attempts to sneak out were met with confrontation, and Woodie would wave him back to bed, glaring a warning at him. Like the Night Queen's territory, it was for another time.  
  
Walter's thoughts were interrupted as Wormwood paused beside him, grabbing ahold of his arm suddenly. Walter looked over, confused.  
  
"What's the matter, Wormwood?" Walter frowned, clasping the plant's hand. It was warm and fuzzy. "Do you see something?"  
  
Wormwood pointed over to a nearby tree, letting out a displeased noise.  
  
"Friend hurt," Wormwood explained shortly, pulling Walter along as he got closer. Wormwood gently untangled their hands, squatting to get a closer look.  
  
"Whattya mean?" Walter furrowed his brow. He could faintly hear Woby whining at his ankles, trying to tug him away. Walter hushed the pup, petting her gently. He turned his attention back towards the tree. "It looks great, actually. Look at how big that trunk is!" Walter exclaimed, knocking at the base of the tree. It was... cold, and let out a metallic sound. Wormwood tilted his head, as if having an unheard conversation.  
  
"Parasite," Wormwood explained after a moment of silence. "Big tree friend can't make any energy."  
  
"Yipes!" Walter flinched. "Poor thing. Luckily, A Pinetree Pioneer is a friend to all, big and small!" Walter dug through Woby's bag, pulling out a can of insect repellant. She still seemed unsure, digging at the forest floor anxiously. Walter whispered a few comforting words, turning back to the task at hand. "This is insect repellant," Walter explained, shaking the can in preparation. "It gets rid of all sorts of mean bugs!" Wormwood frowned, letting out a noise of protest.  
  
"Bugs are friends," Wormwood mumbled, twiddling his 'hands' around. "Big tree friend likes bugs."  
  
Walter tilted his head, confused. "Wait, so what did they mean by parasite?"  
  
A hand reached out from the tree, grabbing Walter's outstretched hand. He yelped in surprise, dropping the insect repellant. Wormwood stepped back, and Woby fled into the nearby bushes, letting out a whimper as she watched Walter.  
The hand was cold, and it squeezed his wrist as it stood up, revealing it's true form. It wasn't much larger then Walter himself. It had a rusted complexation, leaves and branches embedded into it's skin. It seemed to 'open' its eyes, pale green lights focusing on him.  
"Uh, hi! I'm Walter! What's your name?" Walter gave it a nervous smile. It clicked, eyes focused on Walter.  
  
"WX-78. MODEL 1. GENDER NEUTRAL. CREATOR;-" WX let out a serious of loud, unpleasant noises. Wormwood shook his head, covering his ears. Walter gritted his teeth, unable to distance himself from the noise.  
"It's.... uhm, nice to meet you, Mx! I've never met a real rob-"  
  
"SCANNING FOR ORGANIC LIFE." A series of whirring, and... "ORGANIC LIFE DETECTED. SHIFTING INTO KILLING MODE."  
  
Walter froze. "S...so you're.... a killer robot? That's... that's kinda cool, actu-"  
He let out a shrill scream as Wx twisted his arm, crushing bone and tearing skin in the process. In a swift move, he was pinned against the tree by his throat. In front of him, he saw Wormwood's lips move, saw him rush forward to try and stop Wx, but after a few failed attempts of pulling the robot backward, Wx slammed his free fist into Wormwood's face, sending him tumbling to the ground. Walter let out a few desperate gasps, kicking his legs weakly. Wx narrowed their eyes, then-  
  
-Let go, body flying apart as a massive moose in flannel slammed into them. Walter fell to the floor, hacking and coughing. His heart raced as the moose kneeled in front of him.  
In a flurry of fur and flannel, there Woodie stood.  
  
"You okay, kid?"  
Walter looked up at Woodie, his eyes filled with worry, and gave him a big hug with his good arm. He buried his face into his shoulder, eyes watery.  
"I'm... okay. I've never..." He trailed off, uneasy. Woodie gently scooped him up, careful not to touch his broken arm. He trudged over to Wormwood. The plant let out a small gasp as Woodie helped him up; he was unsteady, leaning onto Woodie for a moment, before he stepped away. Woby woofed, jumping out of the bushes and scratching Woodie's leg. She let out a long whine, looking up at Walter.  
"I'm fine, Woby! Just got a little hurt, is all." He grinned down at Woby, a bit red-eyed. Woodie snorted, starting back down the path.  
"A little is right. You'll be staying inside until that's all fixed up, ay?"  
Walter opened up to protest, but Wormwood grabbed his good hand, eyes filled with big, sappy tears, and...  
  
"Finnneeee...." Walter pouted. Woodie snorted, before continuing.  
  
"Lucy keeps telling me that things are going to get worse; she's glad you're safe, by the way." Woodie gave his hair a good ruffle. "I thought you two would be safe with each other, but..." Woodie shook his head. "We'll all be staying together for a bit. So!" Woodie grinned, continuing loudly, "Who wants to hear how me an Lucy took down a Treeguard, just the two of us!"  
  
As Woodie continued on, Walter stared into the approaching dusk, eyes focused on the Night Queen's territory.   
  
  
  
  
For just a moment, he swore there was someone looking back. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i have a lot planned for this au


End file.
